Around the world, people are still struggling to come to terms with the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which have left more than 8,000 dead, thousands more missing and hundreds of thousand others homeless. The threat of a nuclear crisis only adds to the uncertainty.

In times like these, many people find comfort in their faith. But disasters can also challenge long-held beliefs. The CNN Belief Blog asked some prominent voices with different views on religion how they make sense of such suffering, where they see inspiration amid destruction and how they respond to people who wonder, “How could God let this happen?”

Whenever a disaster like this occurs, I go back to the Bible, to the First Book of Kings. Elijah, in despair over the situation in Israel, runs to the desert, back to Mt. Sinai to find the God of the Revelation to Moses.

"And lo, the Lord God passed by. There was a mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. There was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake."

To me, that is the key: the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Natural disasters are acts of nature, not acts of God. God cares about the well-being of good people; Nature is blind, an equal-opportunity destroyer.

Where is God in Japan today? In the courage of people to carry on their lives after the tragedy. In the resilience of those whose lives have been destroyed, families swept away, homes lost, but they resolve to rebuild their lives. In the goodness and generosity of people all over the world to reach out and help strangers who live far from them, to contribute aid, to pray for them.

How can people do such things if God were not at work in them to lend a counterweight to a natural disaster?

Buddhism is called a religion with no god. So we don’t think God caused this, according to the Buddhist way of thinking. We think of the law of cause and effect, searching for a cause. It is the same approach as science. The cause of this earthquake is the friction between the North American plate and the Pacific plate.

The Japanese are more focused on relationships as opposed to faith, feeling the pain of others. I have witnessed this at the time of the Hanshin Awaji earthquake. [In 1995, the Great Hanshin earthquake on the island of Awaji killed about 6,500 people.] There were many people who came to the affected area to help and volunteer.

There is a word, “earthquake children,” for people whose perspectives were affected by the disaster. They became very active in community service or became Buddhist monks. So people will be more spiritual, feeling the pains and joys of others.

The Rev. James Martin, Jesuit priest, culture editor of America magazine and author of “The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything”

For the believer, there is no satisfactory answer for why we suffer. Each person has to come to grips with that. It’s not as if some magic answer can be found. But the idea of God suffering along with us can be very helpful.

The Christian believes that God became human and that God underwent all the things we do. Jesus on the cross cried, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” Christians do not have an impersonal God, but a God who understands what it means to suffer. People can relate more easily to a God who understands them.

Where is God? God is right there with the people who are grieving and sorrowful. In my own life, when I have felt great sorrow I have trusted that God is with me in this and that I’m not facing my struggles alone.

Oftentimes people become more religious in times of sorrow. They find that they are able to meet God in new ways. Why? Because when our defenses are down and we’re more vulnerable, God can break into our lives more easily. It’s not that God is closer, it’s that we’re more open.

Dr. Sayyid Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America’s Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances

These sort of natural disasters become the collective responsibility of all mankind to mobilize our compassion and resources to ease the pain of the people who have suffered.

This disaster is not the result of any sins of these people; we need to be clear that there is no belief that these victims “deserved” it for any of their actions. Rather, Muslims see these kinds of tragedies as a test from God. Muslims believe that God tests those he loves, and these tragedies also serve as a reminder to the rest of us to remain grateful to God for all our blessings and cognizant that we must support those in need.

These kinds of calamities should push us in positive ways. They should strengthen our faith in God and in his goodness. We attribute the things we don’t understand to his limitless wisdom and comfort ourselves that he is with us and he loves us, so there must be some meaning in what has happened, even if it is beyond our comprehension here at this time.

We are trained by our faith that every suffering, whether big or small, brings us closer to God’s mercy and forgiveness, to the extent that the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said, if you are walking and feel a thorn pierce your foot, you should know that even this little bit of pain brings you divine blessing and God’s forgiveness. These times of suffering give us an opportunity to demonstrate patience and faith, and therefore, become closer to God.

Every natural phenomenon challenges us as God’s trustees on this Earth, showing us that we should continue to study and explore ways of safeguarding humankind and all creatures from being subjected to this kind of devastation. It is the collective duty of all humankind to put resources in this and advance our understanding of how to respond to these disasters in a scientific way.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, writer and activist who founded the Unified Buddhist Church in France, and Plum Village, a Buddhist community in exile

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died.

The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what’s most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: We can live in such a way that they can feel they are continuing to live in us, more mindfully, more profoundly, more beautifully, tasting every minute of life available to us, for them.

Sam Harris, author of books including “The End of Faith,” and co-founder and CEO of Project Reason, dedicated to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values

Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes like this, or he doesn’t care to, or he doesn’t exist. God is either impotent, evil, or imaginary. Take your pick, and choose wisely.

The only sense to make of tragedies like this is that terrible things can happen to perfectly innocent people. This understanding inspires compassion.

Religious faith, on the other hand, erodes compassion. Thoughts like, “this might be all part of God’s plan,” or “there are no accidents in life,” or “everyone on some level gets what he or she deserves” - these ideas are not only stupid, they are extraordinarily callous. They are nothing more than a childish refusal to connect with the suffering of other human beings. It is time to grow up and let our hearts break at moments like this.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization

I don’t believe God does want this to happen. I don’t think it was ever God’s intention.

We know that there are going to be storms in life. No matter what happens we need to keep our faith and trust in almighty God. And I want the people of Japan to know that God hasn’t forgotten them, that God does care for them and that he loves them.

soundoff(1,886 Responses)

AngieS

In a world in which so many spend so much time and energy comparing and bashing the differences between the various belief systems it's awfully nice to see that they do all have one universal truth in common: no matter what you believe in you should be kind to each other and help each other out because this world can be a rough place. Let it be!

March 20, 2011 at 10:16 am |

Paula

I am an agnostic. To me, this is just another small piece of unfairness in the world, that makes me reinforce: how can a god let this happeN? how to make so many good people suffer like this? It is just part of evolution, simply as that. We just have to continue with this great evolution/life and be a good person, help others, and try to set a good example for generations to come.

March 20, 2011 at 10:13 am |

Jim1151

What you speak of is our reality, a universe that is indifferent. Believers love to talk about God's plan. Some plan, huh?

March 20, 2011 at 10:19 am |

IRAUnited

Religion isn't evil. Case closed

March 20, 2011 at 10:06 am |

Elaine

True, but a lot of actions by the people who believe in it ARE.

March 20, 2011 at 12:46 pm |

Jim1151

As Carl Sagan stated, It's far better to understand the universe as it truly is than to persist in delusion however satisfying or reassuring. The universe is indifferent to us. When is the rest of the 80% of our species going to begin using their reasoning to realize it's not about us. Darwin proved that evolution didn't need an intelligent designer. We use the wrong language. The "ascent" of man. Arrogant and egocentric, delusional thinking, all for the wish of that great reward, life after death. Here's a good first primer for believers, I place to begin your rational thinking. Explanations that explain everything, explain nothing! This principal can be understood at even the lowest level of human cognition.

March 20, 2011 at 10:06 am |

goat

I like people who quote the bible, but forget about verses Exodus 21:1-11, Judges 11:29-40, Isaiah 13:16, Hosea 13:16, Psalms 137:9, and Deuteronomy 3:1-7, and deuteronomy 21:11-14

March 20, 2011 at 10:04 am |

goat

look them up, they are quite awful verses

March 20, 2011 at 10:05 am |

airwx

No one ids forgetting... and how many of those things have been done away with by the church????

March 20, 2011 at 3:12 pm |

Jonathan

When an atheist declares "There is no such thing as an after-life," I reply, "How do you know? Have you ever been dead?"

Since they've never been dead, they can't answer the question. Atheists hate not being to answer a question, so they go away. Problem solved!!

March 20, 2011 at 10:01 am |

AfterImage

Yes, but when we go away we are heading to the labratory to learn... we'll be back with that answer in time. We've whittled "god's place" in the unvirse down to a few nooks and spider holes, we will eventually shine a light into all the dark corners. Eventually mankind will stop sucking it's thumb and grow into an adult species where fairtales are left as good bedtime stories. Remember, in 6000 years of rational thinking science has yet to give up and admit the existance of magic. We might not know all the answers today, but rest assured we want to know more intensely than you. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I doubt believers can say the same thing. The Truth never hurts, unless a Lie got there first.

March 20, 2011 at 10:12 am |

TBM

Then you have not met many atheists. One of the hallmarks of athieism is that we don't have all the answers because god DNE to explain everything away.
...and to the person who asked where atheists donations are... My $500 went out in the first 24hours after the quake... And are you salting that you need religion to be a good person? Then who is the better person, the one that is good because it's the moral way (mine) or the one that is good only because of a threat for an imaginary friend?

March 20, 2011 at 10:22 am |

Sean

I think, regardless it is a terrible tragedy and I hate when people put a religious spin on everything. I work with a nice guy who is one of the creationist believers, and when tragedy struck Haiti, he said good, that is what happens when you don't believe in christ and I am sure there are some who do take that stance now, but not all. So the question is who do you believe? Do you believe in the original text of the bible? St. Anselm, Aquinas, have most people actually read the bible? All the good things you learn in sunday school im sure. As for the never seeing a happy atheist remark, I am a happy one, love my life, love my family and I do good things, I don't need religion to be a moral person, and who cares about others. There are many Atheists that have changed the world in a good way, I hate when people can only base being an Atheist on what Stalin and Hitler did. Atheists have a lower divorce rate than do christians, so does that make Christians horrible people? not at all. It is a tragedy , leave religion out of it, lets just do what we can to help. As they say more people have been killed in the name of god than for any other reason.

March 20, 2011 at 10:00 am |

Chess

Jonathan, do the world a favor and just kill yourself. You are completely irrelevant and totlally unnecessary.

March 20, 2011 at 9:59 am |

Jonathan

Words of compassion and mercy spoken from a true atheist. I'm sorry you're so angry. Please have a great day 🙂

March 20, 2011 at 11:20 am |

Jackie Treehorn

"Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes like this, or he doesn’t care to, or he doesn’t exist. God is either impotent, evil, or imaginary. Take your pick, and choose wisely."

At last, a little logic.

March 20, 2011 at 9:59 am |

airwx

A poor restatement of the problem with evil arguement made by Epicurious, who, by the way, also philosified that the price of being pain free would require a limit on happiness.

March 20, 2011 at 3:10 pm |

Paula

I am an Agnostic; to me, this disaster is just one small piece of 'unfairness' in the world ... that tells me "how can a god let this happen?" it must be a mean god, then, making good peple suffer this much!!??? I should not even start! In any case, we only need to be nice people.. kind and helpful to others, do our best, and continue evolving in this wonderful globe!

March 20, 2011 at 9:55 am |

airwx

What most people ignore is, according to science, that if all natural disasters ended, (earthquakes/tsnamis/floods etc) it would mean that the planet was no longer able to support life as we know it.

March 20, 2011 at 2:55 pm |

Selling Religion

Nothing like a great tragedy to sell religion. Like vultures, they flock to pick on vulnerable people. Christians are usually most sophisticated – like the bankers offering great no doc loans to uneducated. Thank you Sam Harris for speaking to the falsity the question.

March 20, 2011 at 9:47 am |

david

This entire article points to the fact that religious leaders across the spectrum, have no idea why these things happen, or what is the intent. This is the problem with comprising an all powerful, all knowing, and all loving god. To do so, then attempt to rectify such suffering is impossible. All of the leaders cited in this article point to this fact. The truth is, there is an answer, and it does not involve divine right or providence. The simple truth is we live in a hostile world, with natural forces at work which sometimes result in natural disaster. As long as we continue to put reason aside, and look for meaning where there is none, we will continue to come up empty.

March 20, 2011 at 9:46 am |

George Bailey

I am grateful to CNN for opening up to this kind of spiritual discussion. This is not an easy issue.

What's striking to me is the compassion and meaning that is given by each of the entries except one. The great irony about that one entry is that it is an atheist claiming that all the others are void of compassion and meaning. Sam Harris chooses to describe those with whom he disagrees with words like "stupid" and "childish," while laying out an understanding of God (of the lack thereof, as he sees it) in a simplistic manner.

In my occasional stops on articles like this one, the most cutting, self-righteous reactions come from atheists who profess to have the mantle of knowledge and charity. It's so very disheartening.

March 20, 2011 at 9:45 am |

CallMrAl

While I think Atheism has all the tools to be as enlightened or unenlightened as any of the spiritual traditions, I agree that he did nothing for his cause with what he wrote. He simply promoted every negative stereotype of Atheism as cold-hearted and judgmental.

March 20, 2011 at 10:01 am |

Jim1151

Let me assure you, your description of atheists is simple not true. Rather it is your comment that is a typical response of believers, a defensive response that deflects their unchallengeable, arrogant and wish based statements.

March 20, 2011 at 10:16 am |

George Bailey

A self-correction. I see other vitriolic remarks that come from believers alongside all the atheists. That's disheartening, too.

March 20, 2011 at 10:20 am |

Kevin

Dear CNN, please discontinue the belief blog. This is getting stupid at an increased pace.

March 20, 2011 at 9:42 am |

AfterImage

What you are seeing is just a by product of the growing Rational Movement. There are more and more non-believers out there and we are no longer afraid to call believers to task on their fairytales.

March 20, 2011 at 10:02 am |

Sam

It said the "Lord is not is the earthquake" not "God is not in the Earthquake". The 2 words are not the same thing

March 20, 2011 at 9:41 am |

patw

God is not named Buddha

March 20, 2011 at 9:39 am |

CallMrAl

Nor is it named God for many people. Perhaps you prefer Allah or Adi Purush?

March 20, 2011 at 9:56 am |

craig

god is not named god either, that is something our species made up.

March 20, 2011 at 10:07 pm |

MM

The comments by Sam Harris shows that he has little or no understanding of religion. Why was he asked to comment when the questions deals with God. How can a person comment on God when they don't believe in his existence?

March 20, 2011 at 9:38 am |

Kyle

How can you be so ignorant, have you even seen one of his debates. He knows a lot about religion and looks at it rationally. Not closed minded and ignorant as the religious do.

March 20, 2011 at 9:45 am |

Joy

It's obvious Kyle doesn't know anything about religion either.

March 20, 2011 at 9:48 am |

Jonathan

Sam Harris approaches religion with the presupposition – a-priori – that it is BAD and then cherry picks religious and historical texts to prove his point. While he is accurate on more than a few levels that religion has caused some very bad things, he forgets to mention that just as many bad things have resulted from the secular impulse.

Harris is a writer with a bone to pick, as much as any religious evangelist who says that all non-believers are going to hell. My prediction is that authors such as Niebuhr, Tiliich and Merton will be remembered for far long than Sam Harris.

March 20, 2011 at 9:57 am |

Elaine

Like most atheists and agnostics, he probably did his research/introspection into religion first and the came to his conclusions. Not believing in God isn't the same as not knowing anything about religion.

March 20, 2011 at 12:41 pm |

albert

The Rev. James Martin is inaccurate in stating "For the believer, there is no satisfactory answer for why we suffer". The book of Job in the Bible makes it very clear. He also states that "The Christian believes that God became human". This is also not true. Many Christians believe Jesus to be the son of God and not God himself.

It is scary that the people quoted in this article are supposed to be "Men of God", and yet they know little to nothing of God. They should be ashamed.

March 20, 2011 at 9:35 am |

mykidsmom

Then MANY Christians are wrong. Jesus SAYS He is God!~

March 20, 2011 at 10:00 am |

tuck0616

Psalms 83:18? Does that clue you in on who God is? You are correct that the book of Job was important in understanding something about God, but what we gain from the book of Job is the challenge to Jehovah's sovereignty. His right to rule. Satan challenged that humans only serve God for what they "get" from him, and not just because he is their Creator and deserves the honor. That was so important in understanding that what we go through is because of Satan and his ploys as the "god of this system of things."

March 20, 2011 at 10:00 am |

tuck0616

yes, mykidsmom, many christians are wrong. I understand that many christians read such verses as "noone has seen me and not seen the father also." depending on the translation that might be slightly rearranged, but the point is that Jesus was stating that he was a perfect reflection of who God IS, he is a reflection of the qualities that God represents. Jesus never once said the exact words, "I am God." Never. Please, I ask you to please research that one point. After you find that to be correct, turn to Isaiah 48:17,18. God is quoted here proclaiming who he is and what he does for us. After that, turn to Psalms 83:18 and you will find God's name. I ask one more thing, in all of the Old Testament of better known as the Hebrew scriptures, why is Jesus name not mentioned one time? If he was God, and that is so important to your faith to believe that, why is his name not mentioned in over 2/3 of the bible?

March 20, 2011 at 10:07 am |

Karen

Albert, – G-d put all of himself in human form – Jesus. G-d is the Word .......the Word was G-d. John 1:1.........Jesus is the Word ........the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt amoung us......John 1:14

March 20, 2011 at 10:16 am |

Bils

Well, Albert, that's sort of the point...
"Many Christians believe Jesus to be the son of God and not God himself."
But, many other Christians believe Jesus to be God Himself.
Which group of Christians is right?
Is the correct group ascending to Heaven upon the rapture while the wrong group gets a "Oops! You're wrong! To Hell with you!"
And this is just a divide within Christianity. Throw in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Shinto....
Yow! Who's right and who's wrong?

March 20, 2011 at 10:19 am |

Jonathan

Yeah, all believers are stupid. Just like the following believers I've known: the Dean of a top technical college; the attorneys and doctors; the trained musicians; the poets and novelists; the hard working and loving parents; these people were all unprepentant fools. And then there's Sir Isaac Newton, Dr. Martin Luther King, Einsitien, Ghandi . . . they were pretty much idtios as well.

Thank you atheists for reminding me that intelligence falls strictly under the purview of non-believers. What would I do without you?

😉

March 20, 2011 at 9:30 am |

Chris

Thats book smarts man. Were talking common sense with practical living. Tons of cult leaders are intelligent that doesn't make them right. Atheists are everywhere, their even in the clergy. Of course your book says were evil...so we must be right? We can do no good right?

March 20, 2011 at 9:36 am |

Jonathan

Yeah, Newton had no common sense. He just came up with the theory of gravity. And then there's all his advancements in math, which propelled engineering into a new era and helped usher in the Industrial Revolution. So, right, nothing to do with 'common sense.' Can't contribute any common sense to Dr. King either. What the heck did he know?

Really, don't get involved unless you can hit the ball ovet the net, my friend.

March 20, 2011 at 9:51 am |

Scott

Actually, Einstein was an Atheist. You are only proving Christians stupid by making things up.
"I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." (Albert Einstein, 1954)

March 20, 2011 at 9:58 am |

Jonathan

Einsien did in fact believe in a power greater than man or the universe. He simply did not conform his notions to any given theistic concepts. Be carefull not to cherry pick, Scott. It gets you in trouble.

Shall I be a Creationist? Or an End-Timer? Will that make things easier for you, Scott? Shall I conform to your presupposed notions of what it means as an individual to believe in God, so that you can fit me in your nice little box? Did you get too used to us believers being 'good-ole-boys' and 'dumb hicks?' Scared of the fact that there are believers in this world who have a deeper understanding of freedom than you do?

March 20, 2011 at 11:18 am |

Elaine

You can be incredibly intelligent in one area and a complete moron with your brain shut off in another. That explains your list.

March 20, 2011 at 12:38 pm |

Ben

Eienstein's quote is pretty straightforward. I wouldn't really call that misrepresented cherry-picking. What's with all the hate John? I thought you were the kind and compassionate ones (by your own observations), and us non-theists were the arrogant jerks?

March 21, 2011 at 1:42 am |

Jonathan

1) The theology of Statism has proven far, far more dangerous than any belief in God. 2) If believers are so misguided and worhless, why do they donate so many billions of dollars and so much time to helping those in need? Where are the donations and man-hours from atheist organizations?

Hello???

March 20, 2011 at 9:24 am |

Dub King

" Where are the donations and man-hours from atheist organizations?" – you are so ignorant.

March 20, 2011 at 9:49 am |

Scott

Proven, huh? Ok then, prove it. I'm not a satanist, nor am I a Christian, but I have noticed that Christian fundamentalism is as dangerous as any religion in the world. I can prove that.

March 20, 2011 at 9:51 am |

Ryan

I live in a city of about 800,000 people. Of all the Aid organizations, charities, shelters, addictions centres etc, only 3 are secular and only 5 or 6 are government run. All of the other organizations are of a Christian, faith based origin which uncludes about 56 organizations. What does this say about Christianity? We are caring people that have a passion for helping others. Where are all the athiest aid organizations and other religions groups that are seeting up places to help people. not to say that they don't exist, they just don't in our city.

March 20, 2011 at 9:51 am |

Chess

To St. Johnathan,
I’m not an atheist; I’d say more of a deist. I say “to each their own”. You can believe what you want to believe; just don’t preach your holier than thou garbage. I have given personal funds to help those in need. I’ve given personal belongings; I’ve sold personal belongings to raise cash for those in need. I’ve donated time. Believe in the Easter Bunny if you like, but don’t you ever think you are better than me Christians; you are not, nor will you ever be.

March 20, 2011 at 9:53 am |

AfterImage

Please check out the "A+ Giving Campaign" on Richard Dawkin's website. THERE is where you will find just one of the atheist organizations you were unaware of. Two hands helping are better than a million hands praying.

March 20, 2011 at 9:56 am |

Observer

"Where are the donations and man-hours from atheist organizations?"

So money from this country and other nations and other organizations is only from believers? What ignorance.
In case you haven't noticed, there are no atheist "evangelists" pressuring people to send them millions to not only help people, but to make millionaires out of themselves. There are no atheist churches pressuring people to give billions of dollars that are used to pay lawsuits for pedophiles.

March 20, 2011 at 10:11 am |

Orestes

Yes, many atheists do participate in charities. The big difference between Atheist and christians deals with the fact the non-believers don’t go around tooting their horns with shouts of “look at us we’re doing the lords work!” We are more interested in actually getting something done rather than wasting our time in meaningless prayer groups. There is also the matter of true sincerity. In reality, atheists are more sincere and moral than christians because we are truly more concerned about people’s well-being. We don’t blame or credit the supernatural for anything. Christians on the other hand, participate in charity groups because of their own selfish beliefs. They do so with bribes of ever-lasting life or the fear of hell-fire. . . . in reality, they don’t really care for the individual, they are in it for themselves. How is that true sincerity? Atheists don’t have anything to gain or lose so to speak, therefore our motives are more sincere. Sorry but that’s the truth whether you like it or not.

March 20, 2011 at 10:48 am |

Jonathan

Atheists really do get angry when their own arrogance is brought to light, don't they?

😉

March 20, 2011 at 11:10 am |

Jonathan

@Scott:

I said 'Statism,' not 'Satanism.' I thought atheists were smart. Learn how to read.

March 20, 2011 at 11:11 am |

Orestes

Hey Jon,
I find it interesting that nothing in my post indicates “anger.” You are picking up the idea of anger because you don’t like what I’m saying . . or more likely, you don’t respect my opinion . . That would indicate that you have some underlying issue with the truth. To say that I’m angry in a discussion post shows that you’re not really mature enough to be participating in what I hoped would be a lively and respectful discussion. I suggest that you refrain from anymore post until you are mature enough to carry on intellectual conversations.

March 20, 2011 at 11:35 am |

Elaine

Non religious people donnate time and money through many channels. We do it because it is the right thing to do and we are good, moral people, not because we get browny points for getting into heaven.

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.